LANA'S  TOUR:   SIGHTSEEING TOURS    IN  THE  CRIMEA, UKRAINE 

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Crimea

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Located in southern Ukraine, the Crimean peninsula juts into the Black Sea and connects to the mainland by a narrow strip of land at Perekop. Dry steppes cover more than two-thirds of the peninsula, and the Crimean mountains in the south rise up to 1,545 m. (5,060ft.) before they drop down sharply to the Black Sea.

The southern coast, protected by the mountains, has a mild climate. The Crimea covers an area of 27,000 square kilometers.

Agriculture, tourism, mining, fishing, and wine making provide the mainstay in the Crimea. Farms in the steppes produce wheat, cotton, tobacco, and garden crops. Health resorts and tourist facilities are found along the coastal areas. There is limited mining (salt beds and iron ores) on the Kerch peninsula.

The major cities are Simferopol (the capital), Sevastopol (the base of Russian and Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet), Yalta and Evpatoria (major tourist areas), Bakhchisaray (the capital in 14-15th centuries), and Kerch (industrial center).

The population of the Crimea was 2,550,000 in 1991, consisting of Russians (65%); Ukrainians (22%); Crimean Tatars (10%); and Belorussians, Armenians, Greeks, Germans, and Karaims (3%).

The Crimean coasts are washed by the Black Sea, except on the northeast where it is bordered by the Sivash or Putrid Sea, a shallow lagoon separated from the Sea of Azov by the Arabat spit of sand. The shores are broken by several bays and harbors.

The southeast coast is flanked from the sea by a parallel range of mountains with alpine meadow plateaus, and these are backed inland by secondary parallel ranges, making three ridges.

On the higher parts of this range are numerous flat mountain pastures, which except for their scantier vegetation are analogous to the vegetation of the Swiss Alps, and are crossed by various passes.

The main range of these mountains rise up with extraordinary abruptness from the deep floor of the Black Sea to an altitude of 2000 to 2500 ft. 

The most conspicuous summits in this range are Roman-Kosh (5060 ft.), Chatyr-Dag (5000 ft.), Demir-Kapu or Kemal-Egherek (5040 ft.) The second parallel range which reaches altitudes of 1500 to 1900 ft., likewise presents steep crags to the south-east and a gentle slope towards the north-west. In the former slope are thousands of small caverns, and several rivers pierce the range in picturesque gorges. A valley separates this range from the main range, while another valley separates it from the third parallel range, which reaches altitudes of only 500 to 850 ft. 

A number of short streams, none of them anywhere navigable, leap down the flanks of the mountains by cascades in spring: the Chernaya, Belbek, Kacha and Alma, to the Black Sea, the Salghir, with its affluent, the Kara-su, to the Sivash lagoon.

In point of climate and vegetation, there exist marked differences between the open steppes and the south-eastern littoral with the slopes of the Main Range of the Crimean mountains behind it.

In winters, the tops of the mountains are covered with snow, but snow seldom falls to the south of them and ice, too, is rarely seen in the same districts. The heat of summer is moderated by breezes off the sea and the nights are cool and serene. The winters are mild and healthy.

Dense fogs occur sometimes in March, but seldom penetrate inland.

The narrow southern strip of coast and the slopes of the mountains are smothered with greenery.

This Russian Riviera stretches all along the south-east coast and is studded with summer sea bathing resorts: Alupka, Yalta, Gursuf, Alushta, Sudak, Feodosia.

Cities, spas, villages, mosques, monasteries, palaces medieval fortresses are nestled amongst the woods of hazel and other nut trees, the groves of bays, cypresses, mulberries, figs and olives, the vineyards, and tobacco plantations. Gardens are filled with many varieties of flowers.

Here where they have become acclimatized and grow in the open air, are such plants as magnolias, oleanders, tulip trees, bignonias, myrtle's, camellias, mimosas and many tender fritters. Vegetation from all over the world is presented in the collection of the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens. 

Vineyards cover over 19,000 acres, and the wine they yield (3 1/2 million gallons annually) enjoys a high reputation. Fruits of all kinds are produced in abundance.

The higher slopes of the mountains are thickly clothed with forests of oak, beech, elm, pines, firs and other Conferee.

For   all   inquires,   please,   e-mail  us.      

Contact    person:    LANA   SMITH.

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